so much beauty on expression, and is so necessary to be studied by the young reader, that we shall insert a few more examples, to induce him to pay greater attention to the subject. In these instances, all the inflections are not marked. Such only are distinguished as are most striking, and will best serve to show the reader their utility and importance.

"Manufactures', trade', and agriculture', certainly employ more than nineteen parts in twenty of the human species.'

"He who resigns the world has no temptation to envy', hatred, malice', anger'; but is in constant possession of a serene mind: he who follows the pleasures of it, which are in their very nature disappointing, is in constant search of care', solicitude', remorse', and confusion'.'

"To advise the ignorant, relieve the needy', comfort the afflicted', are duties that fall in our way almost every day of our lives.'

"Those evil spirits, who, by long custom, have contracted in the body habits of lust' and sensuality'; malice' and revenge'; an aversion to everything that is good`, just and laudable', are naturally seasoned and prepared for pain and misery.'

"I am persuaded, that neither death', nor life; nor angels', nor principalities', nor powers`; nor things present', nor things to come'; nor height', nor depth; nor any other creature', shall be able to separate us from the love of God.'

"The reader who would wish to see a minute and ingenious investigation of the nature of these inflections, and the rules by which they are governed, may consult Walker's Elements of Elocution.

"MANNER OF READING VERSE.

"When we are reading verse, there is a peculiar difficulty in making the pauses justly. The difficulty arises from the melody of verse, which dictates to the ear pauses or rests of its own; and to adjust and compound these properly with the pauses of the sense, so as neither to hurt the ear nor offend the understanding, is so very nice a matter, that it is no wonder we so seldom meet with good readers of poetry. There are two kinds of pauses that belong to the melody of verse: one is the pause at the end of the line; and the other, the cæsural pause in or near the middle of it. With regard to the pause at the end of the line, which marks that strain or verse to be finished, rhyme renders this always sensible, and in some measure compels us to observe it in our pronunciation. In respect to blank verse, we ought also to read it so as to make every line sensible to the ear; for, what is the use of melody, or for what end has the poet composed in verse, if, in reading his lines, we suppress his numbers, by omitting the final pause; and degrade them, by our pronunciation, into mere prose? At the same time that we attend to this pause, every appearance of sing-song and tone must be carefully guarded against. The close of the line, where it makes no pause in the meaning, ought not to be marked by such a tone as is used in finishing a sentence; but, without either fall or elevation of the voice, it should be denoted only by so slight a suspension of sound as may distinguish the passage from one line to another, without injuring the meaning.

"The other kind of melodious pause is that which falls somewhere about the middle of the verse, and divides it into two hemistichs; a pause not so great as that which belongs to the close of the line, but

still sensible to an ordinary ear. This, which is called the cæsural pause, may fall, in English heroic verse, after the fourth, fifth, sixth, or seventh, syllable in the line. Where the verse is so constructed that this cæsural pause coincides with the slightest pause or division in the sense, the line can be read easily; as in the two first verses of Pope's Messiah:

'Ye nymphs of Solyma"! begin the song;

To heavenly themes" sublimer strains belong.'

But if it should happen that words which have so strict and intimate a connexion as not to bear even a momentary separation are divided from one another by this cæsural pause, we then feel a sort of struggle between the sense and the sound, which renders it difficult to read such lines harmoniously. The rule of proper pronunciation in such cases is, to regard only the pause which the sense forms, and to read the line accordingly. The neglect of the cæsural pause may make the line sound somewhat unharmoniously; but the effect would be much worse, if the sense were sacrificed to the sound. For instance, in the following lines of Milton,

What in me is dark,

Illumine; what is low, raise and support,'

the sense clearly dictates the pause after illumine, at the end of the third syllable, which, in reading, ought to be made accordingly; though, if the melody only were to be regarded, illumine should be connected with what follows, and the pause not made till the fourth or sixth syllable. So in the following line of Pope's Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot,

'I sit, with sad civility I read,'

the ear plainly points out the casural pause as falling after sad, the fourth syllable. But it would be very bad reading to make any pause there, so as to separate sad and civility. The sense admits of no other pause than after the second syllable, sit, which therefore must be the only pause made in reading this part of the sentence.

"There is another mode of dividing some verses, by introducing what may be called demi-caesuras, which require very slight pauses; and which the reader should manage with judgment, or he will be apt to fall into an affected, sing-song mode of pronouncing verses of this kind. The following lines exemplify the demi-cæsura.

'Warms' in the sun", refreshes' in the breeze,
Glows' in the stars", and blossoms' in the trees:
Lives' through all life"; extends' through all extent,
Spreads' undivided", operates' unspent."

"Before the conclusion of this introduction, the compiler takes the liberty to recommend to teachers to exercise their pupils in discovering and explaining the emphatic words, and the proper tones and pauses, of every portion assigned them to read, previously to their being called out to the performance. These preparatory lessons, in which they should be regularly examined, will improve their judgment and taste, prevent the practice of reading without attention to the subject, and establish a habit of readily discovering the meaning, force, and beauty, of every sentence they peruse."

To the directions of Mr. Murray which have now been recited, the author of this work has little to add, except the suggestions which are given in the respective lessons which follow. One direction more, however, he will add, which is partly expressed in borrowed language: "Learn to speak slow; all other graces

Will follow in their proper places ;"
And while thus slowly onward you proceed,
Study the meaning of whate'er you read.

INTRODUCTORY LESSONS.

LESSON I.

THE PERIOD.

The Period is a round dot or mark like this.

2. The period is generally placed after the last word in a

sentence.

3. When you come to a period, you must stop, as if you had nothing more to read.

4. You must pronounce the word which is immediately before a period, with the falling inflection of the voice.

5. But you do not know what I mean by the falling inflection of the voice.

6. I am now going to tell you.

7. Listen attentively to what I am going to say.

8. Charles has bought a new hat.

9. That sentence was read with the falling inflection of the voice.

10. I am going to tell you in the next lesson what I mean by the rising inflection of the voice.

11. Look in the next lesson, and find the eighth sentence, which you have just read.

12. Tell me whether you would read it in the same manner in the second lesson.

LESSON II.

THE INTERROGATION POINT, OR QUESTION.

The Interrogation Point, or Question, is a mark like this?

The interrogation point, or question, shows that a question is asked, and is generally read with the rising inflection of the voice.

EXAMPLES.

13. Has Charles bought a new hat?

14. Did you say that Charles has bought a new hat? 15. Did you read the thirteenth sentence in the same manner that you read the eighth?

16. Do you know what I mean by the rising inflection of the voice?

17. Do you know now how to read a sentence with the falling inflection of the voice?

18. Shall I tell you again? Will you listen attentively? 19. Are the little marks after the sentences in the first lesson, like those at the end of the sentences in this lesson? 20. Do you know that you have read all the sentences in this lesson with the rising inflection of the voice?

21. Will you look at the following sentences, and read those which are marked D, with the falling inflection of the voice, and those which are marked Q, with the rising inflection of the voice?

22.

D. John has arrived.

23. Q. Has John arrived?

24. D. My father is very well.

25. Q. Is your mother well? 26. D. Mary has lost her book.

27. Q. Has Caroline found her work-box?

28. D. They who have not read these sentences well must read them over again.

29. Q. May they who have read them well proceed to the next lesson?

30. D. As soon as they understand what they have read, I shall give them a new lesson.

31. Q. Will they all be as easy as this?